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The farmingfriends website was set up at the end of 2006 and started as a diary of daily life on the farm but has grown into an online magazine and forum community packed with information, resources and products relating to farming, keeping livestock, food and nature. If you are a farmer, smallholder, animal enthusiast, parent, child or anyone interested in animals and the farming lifestyle, then the Farming Friends website and forum is for you.

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The Right Colour (a novel about a cow) by Andy Frazier Andy Frazier has been writing books for two years now, from his base in South West France. He started life farming with his father and brother at Coningswick farm in the English Midlands, which in those days specialised in quality beef and pork. After … Read more

Do you have working farm or run a farming business where you employ people on your farm? If so then it may interest you to know about Hazel Preece Consultancy, a consultancy business for Health & Safety and Employment matters specialising in the Farming and Agricultural sector. Hazel has over 10 years experience dealing first … Read more

City Screen will be showing the pork industry documentary Pig Business by Tracy Worcester which compares traditional, environmentally sustainable farming with industrialised agri-business on Tuesday 11 May at 8.30pm at York City Screen. I am going to watch this film on Tuesday night which has been organised by Slow Food North Yorkshire. As I myself … Read more

LAMMA 2010 is the 29th Annual Exhibition of the Lincolnshire Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Association. The event will be held at the Newark showground on 20th & 21st January 2010. There will be over 500 trade stands showing products and services from companies from all over the world. There will be a wide range of productson … Read more

We have come across a copy of “The Things We Do – A Guide To Club Programmes and Young Farmers’ Activities” dated 1961 which I have been reading with interest. The book is a helpful guide on how to run a programme of events for a Young Farmers club. It says that, “It should be … Read more

Ammonium Nitrate fertiliser prices have stayed firm at £390/tonne through December of 2008. It is not surprising to hear that fertiliser traders and manufacturers are advising farmers to continue buying to secure supplies – well of course it’s not surprising, they are trying to sell as much product as possible before the price crashes! Ian … Read more

It has been illegal to burn or bury waste plastic produced on farms since the introduction of the new Agricultural Waste Regulations in 2006. The majority of the waste plastic from the farm is from silage bales, with smaller amounts from straw bales, fertiliser bags and empty agrochemical containers. We have been sending the plastic … Read more

Now that it is not raining, the land work has resumed. In the last few days my husband has been busy with the farm work. He has been: combining, bailing, drying corn, muck spreading, ploughing, power harrowing, drilling rape, rolling It is important to get the wheat & barley crops combined before they ruin and the … Read more

Arable Crops Definitions Arable Farming – The production of crops. Barley – A cereal crop grown mainly for malting and as an animal feed. Biodiesel – Fuel that has been produced using crops. Blight – A potato disease. Buteric Silage – Silage that is too wet and does not ferment properly. Canola – The American … Read more

There are many varieties of potatoes which are grown for different reasons. Soilman asked, “What varieties do you grow?” The potato varieties we have grown on the farm over the years are: Hermes – these potatoes have been grown for a merchant that sells the potatoes for crisping. King Edward – these potatoes have been sold to the public for … Read more